


Killer in Ebott

by dlj60



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Death, F/F, F/M, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Gender-neutral Reader, M/M, Murder, Murder Mystery, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-07-29 11:21:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7682515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dlj60/pseuds/dlj60
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Y/N L/N is one of Ebott's best detectives. Granted, they're no Sherlock Holmes, but they still always solve the crime and bring the criminals to justice.</p><p> One day, a famous and well known CEO is found dead in an alleyway and thus, Detective L/N finds themselves going after Ebott's newest serial killer.</p><p> Alongside Detective L/N is Detective Sans, a skeleton monster and L/N's partner. </p><p> With Sans by their side, despite preferring to work alone, Detective L/N is determined to bring Ebott's newest killer down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've decided to try my hand at writing something a little different this time around. Don't worry, my other present story will still be getting updated from time to time.
> 
> I'll alternate between this one and the other one.
> 
> Now, enjoy the first chapter of my second, newest story, Killer in Ebott.

Grillby watches as his last customer of the night picks up their umbrella and takes their leave. It had begun to rain earlier in the day and Grillby had been foolish enough to not bring his umbrella with him. He'd have to wait until it stopped raining long enough for him to walk him. 

Grillby finishes polishing the glass in his flaming grip and holds it up to the lights over him. The glass shines, having been polished completely clean. Grillby puts the now polished glass on the shelf behind him and sets the rag he used to polish the glass down on the counter in front of him. 

He then proceeds to take out the trash. Luckily, the trash can was in the back alley. There was an awning over the trash can so he'd be safe from the rain. He steps out from around the counter. After gathering up all of today's trash and dumping it into a trash bag, Grillby ties the bag up and walks through his pub/restaurant to the back door that opened up to the alley. 

Once Grillby opens up the door, he looks around. It'd grown dark quite fast. Time flies when you have to serve dozens of customers by yourself. He'd have to look into getting some employees. As Grillby lifts up the lid to the trash can, someone goes running by. Grillby looks up, startled. 

The person, a man, barely passes a glance Grillby's way as he runs past. Probably just taking a short cut to get home and out of the rain, Grillby thinks. Grillby places the trash bag in the can and puts the lid back on the can. As Grillby turns to go back inside, he sees something lying on the ground a few feet away from where he is. He squints to get a better look.

He wishes he hadn't. 

There, lying on the cold, wet ground, is a body. A human woman's body. Grillby's eyes widen. Was this woman dead?

Grillby remembers the man that ran past just a few seconds before. Had that man killed this woman? 

Grillby rushes back inside to call the police.

*********

Ebott. Home to humans and monsters. And it's my job to make sure that they're all safe. Well, my job and everyone else who's on the local police force.

My name is Y/N L/N and I'm a detective. I like my job. It gets hard from time to time, but it's worth it to bring down the criminals that roam around the city. Kinda makes me feel like a superhero. 

I'd just finished busting the biggest bank heist that Ebott's ever seen. 

"another case closed, eh partner?" A deep voice says to me. 

Oh right. I guess I didn't do it all by myself. That's Sans. He's a monster. A skeleton monster to be exact. He'd joined the force as a detective a few months back and was assigned to be my partner. Don't get me wrong. Like I said, I keep monsters and humans safe so, I've nothing against him. It's just that I'd rather work alone. Unfortunately, after I almost got myself killed on one of my previous cases, the chief insisted that I have a partner to back me up at all times. And whatever the chief says, goes. 

So, for the rest of my career as a detective, I'll have Sans by my side. He, on the other hand, doesn't seem to mind having a partner.

"Yep, another case closed," I say. Sans is sitting at one of the sides of my desk, leaning back in a chair and feet propped up on top of it. He tended to do that a lot.

"that one guy nearly had you there, bud," Sans says. I think back to what he's referring to. One guy had been lucky enough to sneak up on me and damn near blew my brains out all over the bank. If Sans hadn't been there, he'd have to look for a new partner.

"Yeah. Thanks for saving me, by the way."

"ah, no prob. we're partners, aren't we? you'd do the same for me, i'm sure." Just then, the door to our office opens up and in walks Chief Elroy. The Chief was the toughest guy on the force. He was also the biggest. I know it's supposed to be a stereotype for cops to like donuts, but Chief Elroy almost made that stereotype true. I'd seen him go through a baker's dozen of donuts all by himself in a matter of minutes

"Sans, get you're feet off that desk. What were you, raised in a barn?" The Chief says. I smirk a bit as Sans removes his feet from the top of my desk.

"sorry, Chief."

I turn my attention to Chief Elroy. "What's up, Chief?"

"Got ourselves a body. Possible murder. Need you two to head over there ASAP. Alleyway next to Grillby's."

"Got it, Chief." Chief Elroy nods and closes the door. I stand up from my seat. Sans does the same. Though, he practically shoots up from his seat.

"You alright there, Sans?" I ask.

"yeah. just never thought we'd have to go investigate a murder there."

I walk around the office gathering up everything I need. Badge, gun, coat, umbrella. "You got some history with that place?"

"go there all the time. Grillbz makes the best burgers."

"Well, let's hope nothing bad has happened to him. You got everything?" Sans pats himself down.

"yep, let's get going."

***********  
When Sans and I pull up to the scene, there's already a few cops walking around. As Sans and I step out of our car, one of the officers, a young woman with fiery red hair and ocean blue eyes and tan skin, approaches. I open my umbrella as she comes over.

"Detectives. I see the chief got the two of you over here quick."

"Always. What do we got?" The officer begins to walk back to the scene of the crime, Sans and I following behind.

"Female. About fifty-four. Pale skin, black, shoulder length hair. Blue eyes. 

"Who called it in?"

The officer points to Grillby's. "Flame elemental monster by the name of Grillby."

"Has anyone asked him anything?"

"Not yet. We've been investigating the alley."

"i'll get that part done," Sans offers. I nod.

"Okay, I'll investigate the body." Sans separates from me and heads into Grillby's. I continue to follow the officer into the alley. We bypass the police tape and step into the crime scene. More cops are walking about, looking for clues. The body is lying on the ground a few feet away, chalk outline drawn around it.

I approach it and take a look. The woman looked familiar. I couldn't remember from where though. I get down on one knee to get a closer look. There's a raw, red, rash like, line across the front of her neck. Rope burns. 

She was strangled. It looked like the rope had cut into the skin a bit. I stand back up and face the officer. 

"Well?" She says.

"Strangled to death. By a rope by the looks of it." I look around the alleyway. The woman's purse was lying next to her. I pull out a pair of latex gloves and slip them on. I hand the umbrella to the officer.

"Hold this, please." I reach down after she takes the umbrella and pick up the purse. I open it. Nothing was missing. Not a single thing of value was taken. I look back down at the woman's body. Her jewelry still holds it home on her. I look back into the purse. There's a wallet. I pull it out and open it. There's a picture of her with two boys, a girl, and a man in it.

Her family. She seemed like such a nice woman. Who could have killed her? And why? Her family would be devastated to hear about what had happened.

There's a business card in the wallet, too. I pull it out.

Charlene Thompson: CEO of Ebott Cosmetics. 

That's where I knew her from. She was CEO of Ebott's biggest makeup company. Lipstick, mascara, eyeliner, you name it. Their brand was practically in every store. Billboards with her face on them were here and there. TV commercials had her in them.

"The victim's name is Charlene Thompson," I say.

"The CEO of Ebott Cosmetics?" The officer says. "What reason would anyone have for killing her?" 

"Can't say for sure. Lots of possibilities. Grudge, revenge, just for the hell of it." I give the alleyway the once over, looking for anything that might be out of place. I didn't see anything. "See if you can find out her address. Her family needs to know about what's happened." The officer nods. She hands me back my umbrella and hurries off. I place everything back into the woman's purse. Sans comes walking around the corner shortly after and steps through the police tape.

"so, what's the verdict?" He asks as he walks up to me.

"Death by strangulation. There's rope burns on the front of her neck. Looks like the rope may have cut into the skin. Victim's name is Charlene Thompson. She is, was, the CEO of Ebott Cosmetics. Nothing valuable was taking so, our murderer did this for a different reason. Don't know what though. What did you learn from Grillby?"

"Grillbz said he was taking out the trash when this guy ran past him. might be our man."

"Did he get a good look?" Sans shakes his head.

"Grillbz said the guy ran by too fast for him to see anything specific. saw the body after the guy had gone."

"Seems like there isn't anything else here to see."

"Detectives!" 

The two of us turn as the same female cop runs towards us. "What is it, officer?"

"One of the guys just found the murder weapon." She holds up a pretty lengthy piece of rope in her gloved hands. There's blood on it.

"Where was this found?"

"Just around the corner. Whoever used it tried trowing it in some bushes." 

"Get it to the boys in forensics. See if they can lift anything from our killer off of it. Blood, fibers from his clothes, skin cells." The officer nods and, once again, rushes off.

"Looks like that's it around here," I say to Sans. "Let's get back to the station."

"roger that."


	2. Chapter 2

"so, what do ya think?" Sans asks me after we return to our office at the station. "about the case, i mean." 

"Nothing was taken from her after she was killed. Not her purse, jewelry, money, anything. You'd think with her being a super rich CEO, whoever killed her would've taken something. No, this wasn't about money. Whoever our murderer is did this for a different reason. Wish I knew what though."

"our job would be way too easy if the answers job fell outta the sky and landed in front of us." 

"Yeah, you've got a point. By the way, was your friend okay?"

"ya mean Grillbz? yeah, he was fine. just a bit shaken up about havin' to report a murder." The door to our office opens and in walks the chief.

"You two need to head down to the forensics lab. They finished analyzing the length of rope." I nod. The chief walks out.

"Hopefully, they found something useful." I say. 

*******  
Down in the forensics lab, several forensic scientists rush about quickly. It was usually like this down here. Scientists frantically running around and performing tests. Strangely enough, they're somehow able to stay organized. 

"Detectives. Over here." Sans and I turn or heads to see one of the scientists, a man with shaggy blond hair, waving us his way. 

"Nice to see you again, Michael," I say to him. "Though, we see a lot of each other almost everyday." 

Michael Rays. Thirty years old and all business. Never ever seen him crack a smile. Not once. Not even Sans can get him to crack a smile. 

"Feeling is mutual, Y/N. Follow me please." He turns away and begins leading me and Sans to another part of the lab. "We determined that the victim had been murdered somewhere between eight and nine o'clock. The length of rope that was found only had the victim's blood on it. Her skin cells, too. Fibers from her clothes as well which means the rope must've grinded against her clothes as she was strangled." He stops walking. "No other person's DNA was found anywhere on the rope." He hands me papers with lab test results on them. There's also papers that give details about the body. They mention that the body was found at nine thirty. 

"so, that means we don't really have anything to go by suspect wise," Sans says. 

"Pessimism isn't a good way of thinking for a detective, Sans," Michael states. Sans simply rolls the lights of his eyes.

"Was there anything else about the body? I admit, I'm not the best at spotting oddities," I say as I hand the results back to him. 

"As a matter of fact, there was. Marks from someone's finger nails were found on her neck. She most likely tried to pry the rope away from her neck. Other than that, there was nothing else."

Damn. Barely any other clues. Whoever this guy was knew how not to leave any incriminating evidence behind.

"Thanks for the info, Mike. Helpful as usual."

"Just doing my job, detective." Sans and I leave the lab.

"what now?" He asks. I cross my arms and close my eyes. At that moment, an officer runs up.

"Detectives! We got Charlene Thompson's address. Chief wants you guys to go over there and speak with the family. Here you go." He hands me a slip of paper with Thompson's address.

"Thanks. Come on, Sans. Maybe we can learn something from them."

********  
We pull up to the Thompson house. There's light shining through one of the windows in the front. Next was, in my opinion, the hardest part of this job. Facing the victim's family.

Sans and I climb out of the car and approach the front door. Sans knocks and seconds later, it opens. A middle aged man, around fifty-six, with graying brown hair. Chocolate brown eyes look back at us.

"Yes, may I help you?"

"Evening, Mr. Thompson. I'm Detective Y/N L/N. This is my partner, Sans."

"yo."

"Is it alright if we come in?" 

"Oh, yes. Of course." He steps back and gives us room to enter. We walk inside. The inside of the house looked pretty normal. Photos of the family lined the walls. A mirror or two here and there. Inspirational quotes. 

"Can I get either of you anything?" Mr. Thompson asks.

"No thank you."

"no thanks."

"What brings you here, detectives?"

"Perhaps we should take a seat somewhere first." Mr. Thompson nods. He leads us to the living room. Sans and I take a seat on a couch. Mr. Thompson sits across from us.

I close my eyes for a second, wishing that I didn't have to say what I was about to say. When I open them, Mr. Thompson is giving me a confused look. 

"Charlene Thompson. She's your wife, isn't she?" 

"Why, yes. How did you know?"

"A...few hours ago, she was found dead in an alleyway near Grillby's." Mr. Thompson's eyes widen.

"W-what? D-dead?" I solemnly nod my head. The air in the room was tense all of a sudden.

"Yes. We're investigating right now," I say. "Based on what we observed at the scene of the crime, it's safe to say that she was murdered." 

"Murdered? By who?" Tears begin welling up in his eyes. God, I couldn't handle it when the crying started. It made me want to cry.

"we don't know. yet, at least. is there anyone you can think of that would want to do her any harm?" Mr. Thompson shakes his head.

"N-no. Sh-she was such a nice person. Everyone liked her. Wh-who could...could even...?" The tears begin to flow freely from his eyes, streaming down his face. He lets out a sob. A heartbreaking sound that almost has me in tears. 

The sound of the front door opening draws my and Sans' attention. 

"Dad, we're home!" A woman's voice calls out. A woman, about twenty-six, with black hair and blue eyes and two men walk into view. 

"Dad?" One of the men says. "What's going on?" He looks about eighteen. Short brown hair rests on his head. He looks between me and Sans and Mr. Thompson with confused, green eyes.

"Y-your mother. She..."

"What about Mom? Dad, what's happened?" The woman asks.

"Who are you?" The other man asks me and Sans. He looked somewhere around twenty to twenty-three. He had blue eyes like the woman and was bald.

"I'm Y/N L/N. This is Sans. We're detectives from the Ebott Police Department."

"Detectives?" The woman asks. "Why are you here?"

"Is it alright if I get your names first?" 

"I'm Julia. These are my brothers, Tom," she points to the man with green eyes, "and Eddie," she says, pointing to the bald man.

"What's going on?" Tom asks.

I relay to them what I told their father.

"Murdered? What? But why? She was so nice!" Eddie says. "There's no reason for anyone to want to hurt her!" Julia is sitting on another couch, crying into her hands. Tom sits next to her, consoling her. He looks the saddest I've ever seen anyone look. 

"are you sure though?" Sans asks. Eddie looks at Sans.

"What?"

"are sure that no one had it out for her?"

"But I already told you! No one had anything against her!" Mr. Thompson exclaims. 

"There's no way of knowing for sure. Maybe someone was secretly jealous of her," I state.

"she could've made an enemy that you don't know about," Sans suggests. "No," Julia manages to get out through tears. "She told us about everything that happened at work. Everything. If she had made any enemies, she would have definitely told us." If that were true, then who could be behind it if not an enemy of some kind? 

"You'll find them, won't you? The person who did it?" Eddie's voice snaps me from my thoughts. I look at him. He's staring at me and Sans with extreme intensity.

"I swear. Your mother's killer will be brought to justice." 

Even if I had to go all over Ebott looking for him.


	3. Chapter 3

"i know that Julia girl said that her mom didn't have any enemies at work," Sans says as we return to our car, "but i think we should pay Ebott Cosmetics a visit." We climb into the car and I start the engine.

"Sounds like a plan," I say. "Getting a bit late though. We should get some sleep though. Can't solve a murder when you're sleep deprived."

"that works for me."  
********  
After we returned to the station, we documented what we learned from Charlene's family. Then, it was off to our homes. 

"If you're not ready when I come by here to pick you up tomorrow, you're gonna be walking to Ebott Cosmetics." I pull up to Sans' house.

"that's cold, partner," he says. "can't be bringing criminals to justice without me." He grins at me. I roll my eyes at him.

"I'll see ya tomorrow, Sans."

"yep. see ya." He gets out of the car and heads up to his front door. I drive off. When I get to my house, I shut off the car and make my way to the front door.

"Hey, neighbor! You're home later than usual." I turn my head to see my next door neighbor, Francis," standing at the fence that seperated our yards. Francis was a pretty nice guy. A man in his thirties with jet black hair and hazel eyes and a pale complexion.

He's been my neighbor since I moved in. I didn't really have a problem with him. Though, he always asked questions about my job.

"Hey, Francis. Had a lot to do tonight."

"Catch any baddies? Solve any mysteries?" 

I chuckle. "No, not tonight. Gonna take some to solve the newest one."

"Ooh," Francis says, "a new mystery. What's the sitch?" I snort. 

"You'll see it on the news, Francis. Same as always."

He fake pouts. "Aww, I'd rather hear it from you, Sherlock."

"Pfft. He's a way better detective than me. Anyway, I need to be heading in and getting some sleep. Gotta get up early."

"Alright then. Good night." I throw out a wave.

"Yep. Good night, Francis." I turn away from the fence and head into my house. I don't stop until I get to my bedroom. I flop down onto my bed and promptly pass out.  
*********  
Ebott Cosmetics was a huge, multi-floored building in the business area of downtown Ebott. It was a skyscraper that almost literally scraped the sky. Sans and I walk into the building and find ourselves in the lobby.

Pictures of different makeup products line the walls of the lobby. Mascara, lipstick, eye shadow. I approach the front desk where a young woman with shoulder length red hair typed away meticulously on a computer.

"Excuse me, miss," I say. She stops typing and looks at me. I show her my badge. "Detective Y/N L/N of the Ebott Police Department. This is my partner, Sans." Sans waves. "We're investigating an... incident that occurred last night."

The woman raises a brow. "Incident?" She didn't know yet? The newspapers and news were already talking about it.

"The CEO of this place, Charlene Thompson, was murdered just last night." The woman looks shocked.

"Murdered? Are you, like, for real?"

"it's all of the news and the papers," Sans says. "how didn't you know?" 

"Oh. I, like, totally don't read newspapers or watch the news. That's for, like, old people."

"We'd like to ask you some questions if that's alright with you." She nods.

"Like, it's totally okay."

"Firstly, may I have your name?"

"I'm Zoe. Zoe Woods."

"Do you know if anyone here had anything against Charlene, Zoe? Any enemies, perhaps?"

"Like, no way! That's totally impossible. She was, like, the nicest person here. Everyone here, like, loves her."

"are you sure?" Sans asks. "no one at all? everyone hates somebody."

"Like I said, Mr. Detective, no one at all. Mrs. Thompson didn't have a single bad, like, bone in her body. Oh, um, no pun intended."

Then what other motive could someone have for wanting her gone? I close my eyes and cross my arms. It hits me in a few seconds.

"Mrs. Thompson may not have been a bad person, but she still could've gotten on someone's bad side," I point out. Zoe looks at me, confused.

"Like, what do you mean?" She asks.

"Had anyone been fired by her? Or perhaps, she gave someone a promotion that someone else thought they deserved instead of that other person." Zoe taps her chin.

"Oh! I, like, totally remembered something! There was this one guy who had been caught stealing products to give to his, like, wife and daughter. Mrs. Thompson fired him soon after she heard. The last I heard, his family is, like, not doing so good since then." So, she'd fired someone for stealing from the company. "But, that doesn't seem like a good enough reason for, like, murder. Not like there's a good reason for murder at all."

"you'd be surprised, kid," Sans says. "people have been murdered for the randomest of things." 

"Is there any way we could get his address? Is it still in the system?" Zoe shakes her head.

"Sorry, but like, all of his info was removed after he was fired." 

Damn. Of course it wouldn't be that easy.

"Zoe, who are these people?" A rumbling, deep voice questions. We all turn to see a tall man with wire frame glasses and grey hair approaching us.

"Mr. Greene! Did you know that Mrs. Thompson was murdered last night?"

"Yes. It is very tragic. I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt someone like her." He turns his attention to me and Sans. "And who are you?" He asks. We introduce ourselves. "It's a pleasure to meet you, detectives. My name's Samuel Greene. I'm in charge of marketing here at Ebott Cosmetics." 

"Could we ask you some questions, sir?" I ask. 

"But of course. Perhaps we should go and have a seat first. I'm sure you two don't want to stand the entire time you're here. Follow me to the lounge."

Mr. Greene begins walking away, me and Sans following behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

Once Mr. Greene brings me and Sans to the lounge, the three of us sit.

"Now, what would you like to ask?" 

"Zoe told us about someone that Mrs. Thompson had fired a while back. Said he'd been caught stealing make-up."

"Oh, yes. You are referring to Jordan Summers. Indeed he had been stealing things from the company. Mrs. Thompson had been the one to hire him. She thought he looked like a trustworthy employee. She had been disappointed that someone she thought she could trust turned out to be a thief."

"Sans and I want to pay him a visit. You wouldn't happen to know his address?"

"Sorry, detective. I, unfortunately, don't." Of course. Don't know why I thought he would. "However, I heard from a friend that he was working at the MTT-Brand Burger Emporium. Perhaps you could look for him there."

"Then I guess that's our next stop. Thank you for your time, Mr. Greene. Let's go, Sans."  
***********  
The MTT-Brand Burger Emporium was owned by the super star robot idol, Mettaton. Lots of people adored him. When Sans and I walk into the building, we're greeted by a cat like monster standing behind the counter at the front. He doesn't even look up when the bell over the door jingles. It's pretty empty inside, too.

"Welcome to the MTT-Brand Burger Emporium. Sparkle up your day." The words he says sounds as though they should be said with enthusiasm. The way he says them makes it sound like he couldn't even stomach saying the first word.

"hey, BP. slow day?" Sans greets. The monster, BP, looks up. He seems surprised to see Sans.

"Sans? What are you doing here? You hate this place. Way more than I do, as a matter of fact."

"on the job, BP." BP looks at me.

"Who's this?"

"Y/N L/N. I'm Sans' partner."

"Nice to meet ya, Y/N. People call me Burgerpants. You can call me BP."

"We heard that someone named Jordan Summers worked here. He here?"

"Yeah. He's in the back."

"think ya could get him for us? it's kinda important."

"No problem. Hold on a sec." BP steps away from the counter to go get Jordan. When he returns, a guy with a shaved head and brown eyes is following behind him. BP then says that it's his break time and walks back into the back of the restaurant.

"Yeah?" He says.

"Jordan Summers?"

"Who wants to know?" 

"Detective Y/N L/N. This is my partner, Sans. We-"

"Detectives? You're investigating the murder of Charlene, aren't you?"

"That's right. How'd you know?"

"She did just get murdered last night, didn't she? Pretty obvious why two detectives are walking around."

"well, if ya know why we're here," Sans says, "then you won't mind if we ask ya some stuff."

"Ask me what?" He squints at us.

"We visited Ebott Cosmetics a few minutes or so ago. Some people that work there said that you were stealing from them. When Charlene found out, you got fired."

"Maybe. Maybe not. What's it to you?" His attitude seemed to have gotten worse. Had I struck a nerve with this subject?

"you seem a bit angry all of a sudden, pal. touchy subject?" Apparently Sans thought the same thing.

"No idea what you're talking about," Jordan defends. "I'm over it."

"that's a bold faced lie, bucko. the more we talk about it, the angrier you get. trying to hide it ain't gonna work with me. you might as well tell the truth."

The sound of grinding teeth sticks out like a sore thumb in the nearly quiet restaurant. Jordan's face begins turning red. Then, he loses it.

"YA DAMN DO RIGHT I'M STILL ANGRY ABOUT IT! I'M PISSED! THAT WAS THE BEST JOB I'D EVER HAD AND SHE TOOK IT FROM ME! NOW I HAVE TO WORK HERE IN THIS GREASE DUMP JUST TO KEEP A ROOF OVER MY AND MY FAMILY'S HEADS!" Jordan breaths heavily.

"But you were stealing from them. It's only fair that you were fired." Jordan just stares at me. "It's pretty evident that you're still upset about it. Perhaps upset enough to-" 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop right there," Jordan interrupts. "I may be a thief but I ain't a murderer. Besides, I was here working the night shift last night." 

"The body was found around 9:30 last night.," I point out. "Also, it was determined that she was killed somewhere between eight and nine o'clock."

"I was at home resting for the night shift. I got here way after that time slot. Ten o'clock to be exact." Sans gives Jordan a hard stare. Jordan nervously fidgets.

"he's tellin' the truth," Sans says. Jordan gives us both a smug look. I hold back the urge to grimace.

"That's all, then. Thanks for your time." 

Sans and I turn around and leave.


	5. Chapter 5

It was nighttime. His fingers twitched in anticipation as he waited for his next victim. Just thinking about the fear in her eyes as he ended her life and the dead, glassy look that would follow filled him with overwhelming, childlike joy. Killing that CEO woman had given him a rush. A rush that he needed to feel again.

And so here he was, hiding behind one of the cars in the dimly lit Ebott Cosmetics parking lot. 

And then the doors opened. A young woman, shoulder length, red hair flowing from her head. There she was. The receptionist girl. He'd met her one day in town and immediately decided as they conversed that day that she would be his next victim. She'd even told him where she worked.

How kind.

"Like, see you tomorrow Mr. Greene," he hears her call behind her into the building. He watches as she makes her way through the lot to a blue Nissan. He tightens his grip on his newest weapon. A tire iron.

He makes his move. As fast as a cheetah and as silent as a mouse, he hurries toward her. He gets to her just as she reaches her car.

He sneaks up behind her, tire iron raised in his grip. He hears a gasp. The window. He could see his reflection thanks to the light her car was parked under. She could too. She turns around quickly just as he swings down.

She dodges. The tire iron shatters the window effortlessly, the sound of broken glass ringing out into the parking lot. She runs. He gives chases.

She begins to scream, calling out desperately for help.

But nobody comes. 

He picks up speed and catches up to her easily. All those days of running track in highschool paid off. He swings the iron and it hits it's target on the back of the head. She lets out a grunt and falls to the ground. She struggles to get up as he approaches. 

She turns her head and looks over her shoulder. Her eyes widen. He smiles. That's the look he wants to see. She begins begging, pleading for her life. His smile widens. That wouldn't save her.

He sticks her with the tire iron again. She lets out a pained scream. Blood sprays out from her body as he continues to strick.

He doesn't stop until she's dead. He looks down at her corpse. 

Such a wonderful sight. 

"Hey! You! What are you doing out here?!" Shit. He looks over his shoulder. Someone was coming. He books it. As he runs, he drops the tire iron. The person that called out to him goes after him. They stop when they see the body.

They forget about him and rush, horrified, back into the building to call the police.  
*********

"my bro wants to meet you," Sans says to me as we sit in our office at the station.

"He knows about me?"

"i tell him about you sometimes. after you took me home last night, he told me that he wanted to meet you the next time you brought me home."

"Really? Well, okay. I guess it wouldn't hurt to meet him."

The door to the office opens and Chief walks in. 

"Got us another body. Parking lot at Ebott Cosmetics. Get over ASAP." Sans and I nod. Chief walks out.

Ebott Cosmetics? We were there only a few hours ago. The killer had struck just that fast?

"come on, partner. time for work."  
*******  
Like last time, cops roamed this way and that looking for clues. Civilians stood outside of the cordoned of crime scene. Most likely they worked for Ebott Cosmetics. I cold see Mr. Greene in the crowd. 

When Sans and I pull up and step out of our car, we make our way to the scene. The crowd parts as we make our way over. 

"Detectives. You're here." An officer greets us as we cross over the police tape.

"What do we got this time?" I ask. I could see the body lying on the ground behind him. 

"I...think you should take a look for yourselves." 

I nod. Sans and I approach the body. As I pull on a pair of latex gloves, I hear Sans gasp. 

"Sans?" I say. I turn my attention to the body and let out a gasp of my own. The body had been beaten. Badly. Angry looking bruises littered the body. The head had a wound where a large amount of blood had leaked out and ran down her face. Both lips were split, deep gashes cutting them open. 

But, what stuck out to me the most wasn't the body's condition, but who the body was. A familiar head of shoulder length, red hair I'd seen just a few hours before lay splayed out under it's owner's scalp like a spider web. 

It was the receptionist from Ebott Cosmetics.

It was Zoe.


	6. Chapter 6

I look down at Zoe's battered and bruised body remorsefully. I'd only seen her a few hours ago. Alive and peppy, typing away at the computer at the front desk. Now, her she lay on the cold, hard concrete of the Ebott Cosmetics parking lot. I frown angrily. We were dealing with two murders now. Whoever was responsible would pay.

"Detective L/N?" I look up at the officer standing in front of me. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine." I can feel Sans' gaze on me. I ignore it.

"We found the murder weapon a few feet away from the victim's body a few minutes after we arrived." Another officer walks up and hands him an evidence bag. He holds it up and Sans and I look at it.

A bloody tire iron. Poor girl was beaten to death. Anger surges through me, but I manage to keep it down.

"Get it to the boys in forensics." The officer nods and walks off. I begin looking around the crime scene. Zoe's belongings lie next to her on the ground. I reach down and pick up her purse. Similar to the last murder, nothing of value was taken. So then why murder Zoe?

"Excuse me! Detectives!"

"Wait, sir! You can't step onto the crime scene!"

Sans and I turn toward the commotion. A young, black haired man about twenty-two years old is trying to step over the police tape. An officer is struggling to keep him from doing so.

"I saw the killer! I saw him! Let go of me, man!" I quickly approach the police tape. 

"Let him go, officer," I command. The young man yanks himself out of the officer's grip. "Did you really see him?" The man looks at me from the other side of the police tape. 

"Sure did, man! Well, kinda. I caught a bit of a glimpse. He was kinda far away and these parking lot lights are kinda dim."

"what's your name, kid?" Sans asks.

"Riley. Riley White."

"Riley, tell us what you were able to see."

"Well, I was heading out to my car to go home when I heard screaming and the sound of breaking glass. I rushed over here as quick as I could and saw this guy."

"You work here?" I asked.

"Riley is the maintenance man here at Ebott Cosmetics." Mr. Greene walks up next to Riley."

"That's right! Anyway, this guy was standing over here. He looked suspicious so, I called out to him. He turned around to face me for a few seconds before running. I chased him but then I saw the body..."

"Were you able to make out any details? Hair color. What he was wearing. Height."

"Yeah! He looked about six foot one. I not sure, but I think his hair was brown. I couldn't tell what he was wearing. Like I said, he was kinda far away and these lights aren't really that bright."

"Thanks, Riley. You've been a huge help."

"No problem, detective! Bring that murdering asshole down!"

Oh, I fully intended to.  
**********  
"Tori wants to meet ya," Sans says. He was typing away on his cell phone in the passenger's seat.

"Tori?"

"Queen Toriel."

"You mean the queen of monsters?"

"that's right. she's not the only one. her kid wants to meet you too. Alphys and Undyne as well. The king too."

"I can't believe you're friends with the king and queen of monsters." Sans simply shrugs. "Okay, we can visit them after we're done for today." I frown. "We still have to confront Zoe's family." Mr. Greene had given us Zoe's address before we left. We were on our way over there at the moment.

My frown deepens. This was the second time I'd have to go visit a murder victim's family and deliver bad news.

No matter how many times I do it, I'm still not used to it.

**Author's Note:**

> See any mistakes? Point them out and I'll change them ASAP.


End file.
